Healthy Eating Habits, Research Paper Example

The problem

Overweight is one of the greatest public health challenges that confront the American nation today. With over 60% of its adults being overweight, America is one of the most overweight -developed nations. The term obesity and overweight are used to refer to weight ranges, which greater than what is considered healthy weight for a given height. An overweight person has extra body weight from fats, water, muscles, and bones. An obese person has high amount of extra body fats. Body index mass (BMI) is the standard used to measure body weight in adults. An adult with BMI whose measure is greater than 25 is considered overweight while those with BMI of over 30 are obese (Dunstan 100).

Overweight and obesity are key risk indicators for preventable morbidity and mortality due to many associated diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. The health and psychological cost of overweight and obesity are very high (Bauman 800). As mentioned earlier, the obese individuals are at a greater risk of acquiring fatal diseases such as diabetes in addition to other social problems such as discrimination.

The solution

The proposed solution for this problem is adopting a healthy lifestyle. Health living involves eating the right type of food whilst doing physical exercises. In addition, healthy living is about feeling great, stabilising your moods, and improving your outlooks. Eating the right type of food can help maintain your body weight and avoid the associated problems. There is a connection between health eating, mental, and emotional health. What you eat can affect your moods and the sense of wellbeing. Data from recent study has revealed that there is link between eating diet filled with sugary snacks, red and processed meat, and canned food with depression, bipolar disorder, stress, and anxiety. Moreover, eating unhealthy diet increases the chance for development of mental illness.  On the other hand eating healthy diet, composed of fruits and vegetables and with fewer fats, sugars and salts, can improve your mood and lower the chances of developing mental problem. For people already diagnosed with mental problem eating healthy diet can help to manage the symptom and regain control their lives.

It is important to note that healthy living is within our reach. However, health living is a long-term commitment and can be achieved by changing our lifestyles. In essence, living a healthy lifestyle usually means shifting to healthy diet and doing more exercises.  In order for one to succeed, making a plan is inevitable. Make small manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. As the small changes become habitual, one should continue to add more changes (Lobstein 460).

The key to healthy eating is moderation, this means eating only as much as your body needs. It also means balancing our diets by eating healthy food and reducing unhealthy diet. Fruits and vegetables are low in calories and full of nutrients (Joseph 200). It is important to ensure that you take the recommended daily serving. Moreover, one should add fat from good sources in one’s diet. Fat plays a key role in nourishing the brain, the heart, and the cells. Food that is rich with omega-3 fats can reduce heart diseases and improve one’s moods. It is imperative that sugar and salt are associated with diabetes, depression, and blood pressures. Other important types of food that one should include in own diet include proteins and carbohydrates from good sources and in right amounts. Exercise is also an integral part of health living in that it helps burn calories and reduce one’s weight. These small lifestyle changes are some of the important steps toward shifting to healthy lifestyle.

Work cited

Bauman Stanley. “Overweight and obesity from childhood to adulthood: Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey”The Medical Journal of Australia. vol. 33, No. 12, pp 778-878. 2005

Dunstan King. “International Diabetes Institute”. The Medical Journal of Australia. vol. 10, No. 3, pp 94-200 2007

Joseph Penm. “The Australian Diabetes,obesity and Lifestyle Study.” International Diabetes Institute, Melbourne,2008.

Lobstein, Lopez, “Obesity in children and young people: a crisis in public health.” The Medical Journal of Australia. vol. 34, No. 7, pp 455-466, 2006.